It's a JCM900, man - and I'm playing a lot of ACDC. The only way to make a JCM900 sound good (even modded like mine) is to dime the sucka. The power amp is the only real Marshall part of the whole amp. Run it anywhere below about 8 and it sounds like a kazoo.

It's a Yamaha SG. So identical to a Gibson Les Paul except for the shape.
Have you ever played in front of a really loud amp with a lot of speakers? Lots of pickups behave microphonically in that situation. As I said earlier, my guitar with the GFS pups is unplayable at that volume whereas my Gilchrist with EMG's I can hold right up to the speakers and all that feeds are the strings.
All of these guitar's pups are mounted to the body the same way. The Yammy is ok until I get closer to the speakers when I'm working the note.
I don't expect anything to be as good as the EMG's but I don't want EMG's playing some music. Some songs just need passive buckers - and they have different scale lengths. Also, I think that putting EMG's on a Yammy SG is a hanging offence. Really low microphonics would be wonderful. I could do what I do with my Gilchrist with my SG.

First off yes I've stood infront of a loud amp, A Peavey 5150 stack on many stages across the UK, and I'm also a big Gary Moore fan.

I've never had such the problem you're talking about with my current guitars other than with my old Squier(first guitar) and it's SD JB Jr, but that was an issue where the vibrations through the guitar were transmitting to the pickups in a physical manner through the pickguard, pushing down hard on a certaint spot on the pickguard stopped it happening. Ultimately it came down to the pickup being too tight in the pickguard slot, so some filing and the issue stopped, but the cause was the fact that the pickguard was vibrating and transfering it to the pickup.

Other than that i've stood in front of many unreasonably loud stacks and not had these issues you're talking about, to me the fact that you have to make a thread about it is very strange, making me think that it's a mounting issue of some sort transfering the physical vibrations from the guitar through to the pickup.

First off yes I've stood infront of a loud amp, A Peavey 5150 stack on many stages across the UK, and I'm also a big Gary Moore fan.

I've never had such the problem you're talking about with my current guitars other than with my old Squier(first guitar) and it's SD JB Jr, but that was an issue where the vibrations through the guitar were transmitting to the pickups in a physical manner through the pickguard, pushing down hard on a certaint spot on the pickguard stopped it happening. Ultimately it came down to the pickup being too tight in the pickguard slot, so some filing and the issue stopped, but the cause was the fact that the pickguard was vibrating and transfering it to the pickup.

Other than that i've stood in front of many unreasonably loud stacks and not had these issues you're talking about, to me the fact that you have to make a thread about it is very strange, making me think that it's a mounting issue of some sort transfering the physical vibrations from the guitar through to the pickup.

Yeah right, man. I'm not getting more microphonic feedback from some pickups than others. I haven't tried different pickups in different guitars. I don't have 30 years gigging experience and I'm unfamiliar with feedback. Oh wait .........

Oh and greg. If I replace the pups I'd put the LP pups into the Iceman and stick those microphonic piece of crap GFS pups in the drawer, maybe use one in a cigar box guitar or something. They'll get used in something.

Yeah, I guess that is another option. I really need new pups for the Iceman too though so ............
I wouldn't be using the Iceman gigging though (we aren't a glam band as you know) so that can always wait. The GFS pups are fine through my smaller amps.
I'll certainly consider the magnet options. It would really make a substantial difference to microphonics you think?

Couldn't hurt I guess. It's not like the LP pups are terrible or anything. I can get away with them if I'm really careful, it's just a limitation I'd prefer to eliminate. So perhaps a marginal improvement may suffice.

I've been coming on guitar forums since 2004, never have I seen a thread or discussion such as this one. My guitars don't have this problem, not even remotely that it would be even worth a mention and I've never heard about this problem from anyone using high quality modern potted pickups.

The fact that you have to make a thread about microphonic pickups as if it is something normal is just bizarre, so forgive me for not taking on your 30 years experience and amp building experience as anything that has any relevance to the subject.

As I've already said, I think you have a mounting issue and not a pickup issue.

Man, I have already told you that I have different degrees microphonics with different pickups mounted exactly the same way. Of course the pup itself is an issue. Sorry but:

Obviously different pickups will react in a different way, damn do we need to dumb this down even further? The fact that you have an issue in the first place, especially if it happens with more than one set of pickups is even more evidence to support what I'm saying.

What are you using a wall of 4x12s with 100w amps cranked and having a full set of just standing infront of the amp letting it feedback? Because what you're talking about is just not normal, it's just not an issue that people have to worry about.

With my modified Squier (JB JR bridge + Fender mid/neck), let alone my expensive guitars I can stand infront of my amp doing the parissiene walkways sustain held note and let it sustain forever, minutes if I wish and manipulate it with vibrato as a result of feedback if I desire. Never does it go wild doing it's own thing, and that is with a cheapy Squier guitar.

If you cannot do this without issues then it isn't the pickups you're using that are at fault, it is something to do with the way they are mounted, dampen them, reduce the vibrations they are recieving from the guitar.

So I'm not normal. I explained what I am doing. Some pickups don't suit what I am doing as well as others, it's that simple. EMG's are great (but the wrong sound), the LP pups are useable but not ideal, GFS Fat Pats are unuseable. All mounted the exact same way. So how the **** is that supporting your claim that it's all in the mounting?

So I'm not normal. I explained what I am doing. Some pickups don't suit what I am doing as well as others, it's that simple. EMG's are great (but the wrong sound), the LP pups are useable but not ideal, GFS Fat Pats are unuseable. All mounted the exact same way. So how the **** is that supporting your claim that it's all in the mounting?

Do they have covers? Do they need to be wax potted (again?). Modern pickups should not have this issue, if you bought a Seymour Duncan 59 and put it on there you would not have any issue at all.

Hence why I am thinking of buying SD Pearly Gates. I don't have any real problems with my SD equipped guitars. I was simply asking if anybody knew of any pups that were particularly good on the microphonics front. ie better than SD's and Gibson.
And not all modern pickups are immune to this issue - GFS Fat Pats are total crap when it comes to microphonics, which is undoubtedly why they now bs about how they don't in their ads. If nobody ever has problems with microphonics at high volume why do DiMarzzio also make a big deal about it in their ads?
Just because you don't play in a way where it's an issue doesn't mean that others don't because they patently do.

Saw SD Pearly Gates mentioned a lot here, what about those new SD Whole Lotta Humbuckers, get you that hotter vintage PAF pickup like what Page, Beck, Clapton and others used, and of course it comes from a reputable brand. I am eying up a set for my Les Paul. Not the most friendly in the price department I think a set is $220 but sounds like it could be up your alley.

I've been coming on guitar forums since 2004, never have I seen a thread or discussion such as this one. My guitars don't have this problem, not even remotely that it would be even worth a mention and I've never heard about this problem from anyone using high quality modern potted pickups.

The fact that you have to make a thread about microphonic pickups as if it is something normal is just bizarre, so forgive me for not taking on your 30 years experience and amp building experience as anything that has any relevance to the subject.

As I've already said, I think you have a mounting issue and not a pickup issue.

Funny, even a cursory search shows this is neither an uncommon issue nor an uncommon discussion.

But rest assured that your anecdotal expertise is noted and given the consideration it merits in light of the balance of evidence.

__________________“Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge.”
Charles Darwin